A prolific thief who became one of the seven blamed for a massive surge in crime in Swadlincote has been caught shoplifting again.
Rebecca Portsmouth has been caught again, this time stealing five packets of steaks only days before she appeared in the Burton Mail alongside six other offenders accused of causing a crimewave in Swadlincote when they were all released from prison at the same time.
Portsmouth, of Midland Road, Swadlincote, appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court to admit stealing the five packets of steaks worth £42.50 from Sainsbury’s, Civic Way, Swadlincote, on August 4.
She admitted breaching the conditional discharge given to her in February when she admitted stealing £35 worth of cleaning products from B&M.
This time, the 34-year-old has been made the subject of an eight week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.
She was also ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge.
Portsmouth appeared in the Burton Mail alongside Leon Tilt, Jordan Burgess, Daniel Singleton, Christopher Knight, Matthew Kendall and Michael Kavanagh after they embarked on a shoplifting spree across Swadlincote town centre in a short time period, leading to a 56 per cent spike in crime figures.
Three of the seven have, so far, been jailed with just Kavanagh outstanding, after he failed to attend court.
South Derbyshire’s safer neighbourhood sergeant Graham Summers said his team worked together and moved their shifts around in order to track down the seven people who stole thousands of pounds worth of items from town centre shops.
He also said larger shops were not doing enough to prevent themselves from becoming victims of shoplifters, as they continue to display expensive items by shop doorways – leaving them easy targets.
